Portrait of General James Johnston Pettigrew

Portrait of General James Johnston Pettigrew that hangs on an interior wall at the Southern Historical Collection
A portrait of General James Johnston Pettigrew, painted by William Garl Brown in 1866, hangs on an interior wall at the Southern Historical Collection.

Once in a while, the SHC acquires intriguing artifactual items.  Normally these artifacts are acquired during the acquisition of a greater collection of related manuscript material.  One such artifact was acquired at the time of the gift of the Pettigrew Family Papers (SHC Collection #592):  a framed portrait, in oils, of General James Johnston Pettigrew.

James Johnston Pettigrew (July 4, 1828 – July 17, 1863) was an author, lawyer, linguist, diplomat, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was a major leader in the disastrous Pickett’s Charge and was killed a few days after the Battle of Gettysburg during the Confederate retreat to Virginia.

Our records indicate that the Pettigrew portrait was painted by William Garl Brown in 1866.  The portrait hangs on a wall within the SHC Curator’s office suite.  It’s just another great thing about working for the SHC – enjoying the many historical treasures that surround us as we go about our daily work.  We are pleased to offer this “behind-the-scenes” look at this portrait.